Harvey Weinstein was convicted at his sexual assault trial, as he was found guilty of committing a criminal sex act in the first degree to accuser Miriam Haleyi, and third degree rape related to accuser Jessica Mann.
The New York jury composed of seven men and five women delivered a split verdict after the fifth day of their deliberations.
However, the jury found the former movie mogul not guilty on two charges of predatory sexual assault and one charge of first-degree rape.
This means that the jurors did not find that Weinstein raped Annabella Sciorra, whose testimony is what the prosecutors used in an attempt to prove Weinstein’s predatory behavior.
It also means that he had escaped a life sentence.
The defense immediately requested for a motion for a mistrial, which Judge James Burke denied.
Three allegations built the case against the once-renowed producer; that he forced an oral sex on Haleyi, raped an aspiring actress and raped and forcibly performed oral sex on Sciorra.
The prosecutors called three more women to the stand and used their testimonies to show a pattern of behavior.
These women are called the “Molineux witnesses”, which includes Dawn Dunning, Tarale Wulff, and Lauren Young.
While their testimonies cannot be used for prosecution for being too old or out of jurisdiction, it helped the prosecution to point out that Weinstein is a serial predator.
Weinstein’s attorneys argued that the sexual activities are all consensual, and questioned the credibility of the women’s allegations while showing text and email exchanges between the producer and some of his accusers.
Civil plaintiffs attorney Douglas Wigdor said, “Weinstein may have been able to avoid testifying in the criminal trial, but he will not be afforded that right in his civil trials.”
It is not yet clear as to how many years Weinstein will be locked in prison, as sentencing will happen at another date.